something i ran into at the washington post. instead of calling people morbidly obese, of a call them mega fatties. i was accused of being insensitive which i guess i probably am. everybody knows this to be true. someone has to pay for it. i am not saying he should bankrupt people but there should be penalties. i'm not really a democrat but i certainly am a democrat compared to him. behalf of a responsible for your personal behavior. -- you have to be responsible for your personal behavior. >> we are not the only ones making decisions like this. the task force also said that with regard to medicare, we need to do something about the obese and smokers and they also had a

proposal which was more complicated than ours for restricting the spending on end of life care. these are difficult, painful decisions but we will have to see -- we will have to face them. sunday up next, the nevada senatorial debate. this race could be a tossup. a new poll shows senator heller leading. this is one hour. >> good evening and welcome to the studios of kmpb in reno.

this will be an hourlong debate b, andred by cbs, kmp "the reno cassette journal. here is the format for the debate. each candidate will get a one minute opening statement. the candidate will then be asked a series of questions. the candidates will each get one minute and a half to respond to the same question. the candidates will receive -- who receive the original question will get one minute to rebut. we will also have closing statements. opening statements have been determined by a coin toss.

these are our questioners. >> thank you and i would like to thank the sponsors for hosting our first debate. , the panel members for being here with us. about 50 years ago, i lived in a small town in upstate new york. my father could not make a living so he decided that he would move his >> we drove across country. we were headed for california. we stopped in nevada for the day. we never left. my dad was a waiter. on a waiter's salary, he put food on our table, clothes on our back, and two daughters through college. i am the first person in my

family to go to college. i worked my way through college as a waitress, a cocktail waitress, and a shoeshine girl. i think it is my job to make sure people who come after me have the same opportunities my family had when we first came to nevada. thank you. >> thank you. senatorthank you to my opponent for being here tonight. thank you so much. i grew up here in nevada with five brothers and sisters. my father was a mechanic and a mother was a school cook. my father created his own business. took him years. hard work. the government did not help. there were certain important principles he lived by. if you work hard every day you get an opportunity to succeed. not a guarantee, but an opportunity. he also believed if you play by the rules, you would be rewarded. if you did not, there would be

consequences. it is amazing how much this country has changed in the last four years. the results of this change. it is amazing what the impact that has had on our government, economy, and jobs. >> thank you. our first session will be -- our first question will be directed to the congresswoman. >> you have a consistent record of voting along party lines. we have seen more than our fair share of negative commercials during this campaign. many americans have grown tired of the growing popularity in between political parties and ideologies. are you willing to compromise party ideals for the benefit of the state and of the nation? please give an example of a time you worked with members of the opposing party for the betterment of nevada.

>> thank you for that question. it is true that our government has become more polarized over the last few years. but i think it is important to stand for your principles. the most important thing you can do right now is get people back to work. the most important thing are jobs, jobs, jobs. that is why i support small businesses, make sure they can rehire people and hire new people. that is why i think it is so important to make nevada the jobs energy capital of the united states. we need to bolster tourism. when it comes to issues, our delegation has worked very well together. let me give you an example. it does not matter what party you are in, what side of the aisle, the fact of the matter is the nevada delegation stood fast when it came to protecting people in the state of nevada.

on the issue of yucca mountain. i think that is one good example. when it comes to other things, i work very closely with people every day when it comes to our support for israel. i would make sure we ensure that the iranians do not require nuclear weapons. i think i would work with anybody to make sure we got our economy back on track, our budget under control, and we wasteful spending. -- week end to wasteful spending. >> thank you for the question. people want to talk about jobs in the economy, number 1. the number 2 question is how will you bring both sides together and solve problems here in the country. to get people together and willing to work together, that is how we will solve problems.

i have a number of pieces of legislation i pushed through. i pushed back against my own party on issues like the balanced budget amendment, prescription drug programs, stem cell research. there is a list of things own party if it is important. i have legislation helping on women's issues. with debbie wasserman schultz. i worked with several giffords before her accident. securing the border. tax when it comes to the telephones. i have a long history of working with both sides of the aisle because i believe if we are going to solve the problems facing the nation, republicans and democrats will have to come together and solve them. >> you have one minute. >> i think it is very important we do work together. we do on many issues. one of the things i recall

working across party lines is for the elimination of the state tax. -- the estate tax. i worked with mr. brady and we worked together to eliminate that tax. that was across party lines and breaking with my own party to make sure we do what i think is right for the american people. one of the issues that is very important and we talk about a lot is jobs. and making sure we provide an environment where we can create good-paying jobs and keep them right here in the state of nevada. small businesses, making sure we pass the hire act, which my opponent voted against. the small business jobs back to which my opponent voted against. making sure we make nevada the clean energy jobs capital of the united states, which my opponent voted against investments for renewable energy. >> senator heller, nevada is the leader of national

unemployment. you questioned the wisdom of extending unemployment benefits in 2010. you asked "is the government creating hobos?" as the crisis continues,are you calling nevada the unemployed hobos? >> it is difficult to prove you did not do or say something. i did not say that. what i do want to talk about is what i did do. i believe there ought to be a federal safety net. i believe that is critically important as a part of the responsibility this government has. for those who have come across hard times and this economy especially here in nevada. i have had an opportunity to look for the vote for the extension of unemployment benefits.

what have you done to break from yourit is one of the things i party? thought was critically important. i think there are certain responsibilities. one of those is a safety net to make sure people who have had tough times, and believe me, i have lived in a family that has, it is not easy. it is not easy. you need to understand the safety net needs to be there to get people back on their feet and moving floor. -- moving forward. >> thank you for the question. the fact of the matter is my opponent actually did call unemployed people hoboes. that is very much in line and in touch with what governor romney said about the 47%. my opponent does not seem to care much about them either. he voted five times to give tax breaks to corporations to ship our jobs overseas. he votednine times to continue its tax subsidies. he voted twice to and medicare

-- and medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies. that is not providing a safety net. that is creating a problem for the people in the state of nevada. the people of the state of nevada,they need to know who is fighting for them and who is fighting for the big guys. whatever my opponent says, he talks a good game rather than spending with middle income people from nevada who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, he has been taking care of business at home. he has been voting with wall street and corp's shipping jobs overseas. you want to create jobs? invest in nevada's fledging renewable energy companies. he voted against investing in nevada's companies that will create good paying jobs right here in nevada. that's what a nevada senator has to do. >> thank you.

you have one minute to rebut>> she has so many talking points. we could go and read but everything will -- every single thing she says. she has not helped the middle class. wide use think we have 12.1% unemployment? nobody has done more to hurt the middle class than my opponent. think about wall street. she says i am supporting wall street and it is just not true. every time they come for a handout, she bails them out. she has bailed out of detroit and wall street. she bailed out everybody time and time again. what will you do for the middle class? you continue to support big bailouts. one other thing. she has raised more money in new york city than the city of reno. i have raised more money in this campaign than in new york city. she raised more money on wall street than i have in this campaign. who is an apostate of the money on wall street? -- who is in the pockets of the big money on wall street? >> the next question will be directed to congresswoman.

>> i was intrigued looking through both of you. -- your official website. has enough been done to defend our only true ally in the middle east? >> thank you for that question. i pride myself on being the strongest supporter of israel in the united states congress. we share a common bond. it is the only democracy in a dangerous part of the world and one of our strongest allies if not our strongest ally in the world. i think we need to do everything we can to work with israel to ensure iran does not acquire nuclear weapons. it is a threat to the entire world. it is an existential threat to israel. it would unleash a massive arms race in the middle east that would be very destabilizing and very dangerous in an already

unstable part of the world. the relationship between the united states and israel has been solid for the last 65 years. it is important to have members in congress that know the difference between the gaza strip and the las vegas strip. we have problems with egypt and problems in syria. jordan is becoming destabilized. the fact of the matter is we have to be very careful to ensure that our ally, the most reliable ally we have and the only democracy in a very dangerous part of a world, has the tools they need to keep their people safe. >> senator heller? >> thank you for the question. the biggest threat to israel today is iran with nuclear weapons. i don't blink anybody here

disagrees with that. the second biggest threat to israel today is whether not the united states will stand behind them when they are threatened. there are very few differences between my opponent and me on foreign policy. if she wants to have a debate, she ought to have that debate with the president. there is no furnace and the middle east today -- firmness in the middle east today. what happened in egypt and libya, it took them weeks to decide it was a terrorist attack. i am concerned because israel needs our help. it will need our support and i stand behind them. >> ok. >> this is an issue that is very important to me. i have spent a critical time in middle east peace. -- considerable time in middle east peace. when i disagreed with the president, i was the first one on either side of the aisle to express my differences in no uncertain terms. let me turn this around and talk to you about things you do not hear. this administration, with my help, plused up the israeli

budget by $200 million this year. we helped to create and put up israel's defense system. when israel was faced with the palestinians going to the united nations and asking for a unilateral declaration, there was one country that stood with israel and stopped that. that was the united states of america with me talking to the president of the united states making sure that did not happen. >> thank you. the next question is directed at senator heller. >> to different degrees, nevada has a sense of just how devastating it can be to the state if we had a species list as an endangered species. economists say it could shut down our economic development. realistically, what can you do in the senate to prevent that from happening?

>> for someone who grew up here hunting and fishing, i have a little bit of experience with this. , the sage grouse. it is not just a big issue for the state of nevada. we are talking an impact it would have agriculture, mining. it would be huge. i have put together a working group. i brought people together from both sides. we talk about the specific issue, what we can do. let's realize what the problem is. we are poorly managing. we have too many fires. because of all this, we are literally running the habitat. -- ruining the habitat for the sage grouse. we will be discussing this in washington d.c. and discuss it every day when i am back there. the last thing we need to do is have the impact on mining and

agriculture. it would be devastating for the state. >> thank you for that question. i know what we need to do in order to protect them. we'd have to do everything we can to ensure they are not listed as an endangered species. it would have devastating consequences on a large part of our economy here in nevada. the miners, the ranchers, and the renewable energy companies that are locating their renewable energy equipment on federal property. it is important we keep them out, improve the habitat, so that the state of nevada and other western states are not devastated economically. by having the sage grouse listed as an endangered species.

this is an area we do work together and we should, to do something that is good for the state of nevada by doing something good for this animal. >> here is my fear. i believe the president will list it with the support of my opponent. think of the impact that would have on the ability to create jobs in nevada. all this comes back to the ability to create jobs here in america. i believe the sage grouse will get listed. i believe the environmentalists are bent on listing them and you need a senator that will fight back and talk to the administration and tell them, it will be a big concern. >> our next question will be directed to the congresswoman. >> it has been reported that in 2008, you wrote a letter to a representative over medicare,

urging him against lowering medicare rates for dialysis. why in that letter did you not point out that your husband is a kidney specialist, which could be a potential conflict of interest? >> my one and only concern was to protect the health and well- being of the people of the state of nevada. that is my job. i wrote a letter to pete, but i sit on the same committee with him and i have known him for six years. he knows exactly what my husband does. i know my opponent has attacked me on these issues. i can take that. what i cannot take are the attacks on the people of the state of nevada. i voted to create good paying jobs right here in the state. my opponent is voting for big oil companies, nine times giving tax breaks to big oil companies, voting five times to give tax breaks to corporations

that are shipping our jobs overseas, while i am working very hard to make sure we get people back to work, make sure we keep people in their homes, make sure that we protect older americans, protect their social security and medicare, standing with our veterans. my opponent is fighting for the big guys, the guys who do not need his help. we need a champion in the united states senate. my opponent is playing for the other team. while he wants to throw this off and make it sound like it is something it is not, the fact of the matter is i know who i am fighting for people in the state and i know my opponent is not. >> thank you. >> character matters. let me repeat that. character matters in life and it matters in the united states senate. my opponent has a big problem. do you know how unusual it is for the ethics committee in the

house with five republicans and five democrats to move toward on an investigation like this? it is big. this year's paris she cannot get away from us. this is a pattern. this is a problem. it is a pattern it is a problem she had prior to getting into congress. it is well documented. the bottom line is she keeps talking about jobs going overseas. this is what happens when you do not build that pipeline. she voted against the keystone pipeline. where is all that oil going to go? the oil will go to china to create those jobs. she can talk all she wants about trying to create jobs for the middle class. went to those for energy tax, when she votes for obamacare, all the oil in china, who is creating jobs for people in foreign countries? it is a shame we have to walk down this road. >> i think character does matter. you know it is important to the people in the state of nevada at? who will protect them? who will fight for them in the united states senate? who is working for the middle class?

developing our clean energy, we have an abundance of sun and wind in the state of nevada. we need to harness it and get people back to work. we need to take care of them are small businesses. , give them the tools they need to expand and hire. my opponent voted against the hire act which put people back to work. he voted against the small business jobs act that even our republican governor in the state of nevada thought would be a very important piece of legislation. i want to create jobs here in the state. i think we should build the keystone pipeline. i want ironclad guarantees the oil that goes to that pipeline stays here in the united states to lower our prices. my opponent voted against an amendment. that oil is now shipped to china. >> next question.

>> in a spanish-language ad, you are accused of "wanting to go back to deporting undocumented students." this is in regards to the dream act. you voted against this bill in 2010. what exactly is the problem with allowing documented students brought to this country as children and who have good moral character to change their legal status? >> thank you. this is something that can be solved in washington. it will take republicans and democrats together to make this happen. the dream act will not pass. the reason is because the majority party keeps putting it on the floor without amendments or discussion. if you think you will pass a piece of legislation, republican or democrat, and put that thing on the floor and restrict discussion and restrict amendments, it will not pass. there are things we agree on. i would argue we agree on 80%. i support immigration reform.

i have worked with members of the united states senate will try to put together immigration reform. i have had this discussion. with marco rubio. let's have this work for america. you should not have to pay thousands of dollars in order to immigrate. to this country. you should not have to hire a lawyer. it should not take you years. to have to immigrate to this,we agree on a lot of things. let's have open discussion. let's not keep throwing a bill on the floor and let's work together. i believe we agree with 80%. we are just arguing over the last 20%. if you have served honorably in the military, you should have the right to stay in the country. you will still have to go to the process. same thing with education. there is a way of solving this. the key is for the republicans and democrats to work together. >> thank you. >> there is a way to solve all of these challenges.

while my opponent talked a very good game, the fact of the matter is his actions do not match his rhetoric. he is opposed to a comprehensive immigration reform. he is in favor of the arizona law and most of it was declared unconstitutional by the united states supreme court. my opponent thought the arizona law was so good he wanted to bring it here to nevada. the one thing i cannot believe he is opposed to is the dream act. he voted against it. at 80% or 20%. he voted against 100% of it. what does it say? it says if you are a youngster who came to the united states through no fault of your own and you are in college or you volunteered for military use, you should have a path to legal status. it could not be any more simple than themy opponent voted against it. net. he is on record saying if he remains in the united states senate, he will vote against it again.

the latino families in the state and in this country deserve to have that dream act passed, deserve comprehensive immigration reform. where you secured your borders atyou crack down on employers that are knowingly hiring undocumented workers, you secure your borders, and you give people an opportunity to get to the back of a line and have some legal status when they get to the front. the arizona law is a terrible discriminatory law. my opponent wants to bring it to nevada. >> let me talk to you about 20% we disagree. she supports blanket amnesty at the end of the day. if you put a blanket amnesty on the floor of the house of representatives, she would support it. let's step back. people come into my office. hispanics are concerned about the dream act. they are also concerned about their families, jobs, the education for their kids, for businesses, and these are the issues we have to solve.

their unemployment is higher thanks to my opponent than the general population. we have to put together jobs programs that work. every time my opponent says she voted for a jobs act, the unemployment has gone higher, higher in the state. that has to change. i can remember when she was saying, the stimulus will have 35,000 jobs in nevada. we were losing 65,000 jobs in nevada. every time she talks about jobs growth, unemployment goes higher. >> thank you. our next question. this will be directed to the congresswoman. >> one of the biggest issues we face on the federal law for is our overwhelming federal debt. it has gone beyond just a domestic problem that will affect future generations. it has become a national security issue and a foreign- policy issue. what specific steps do you propose the united states take to get out of debt or at least

make our interest payments easier to live with? >> we have to get our debt under control. and end wasteful spending. this is the way we do it. the first thing we do is stop giving tax breaks to corporations that are shipping out of jobs overseas. my opponent voted five times for that. we have to stop giving big oil tax subsidies. the big guys do not need it. the people in the state of nevada need help, not wall street corporations. after we do that, we can make nevada and this country the clean energy jobs capital of the world's we can generate good paying jobs. if you want to get down our debt tolet's get people back to work so, they are paying taxes. another thing we can do when it comes to our debt is pass a balanced budget amendment. let me tell you what that does. i want to pass a balanced budget amendment, but i will not pass one, i will not vote for a balanced budget like the ryan

budget that my opponent voted for twice, which ends medicare and turns it over to private insurance companies. let's make sure when my opponent is voting for the big guys, corporations that ship jobs overseas, voting to give big oil more tax breaks, let's take care of the people here at home, make sure we are not balancing the budget on the backs of our seniors, backs of our veterans, and make sure we get our budget under control by ending wasteful spending and working together. >> thank you. >> my opponent does not care about balancing the budget. she does not care about the debt. she has had 14 years in congress to talk about it. this is the first time i have heard her say she does not like the $16 trillion debt we have. sunday is the day we have another trillion dollars for the fourth year in a row. imagine that.

what is a trillion dollars? let's break it down to jobs. that is 20 million jobs at $50,000 apiece. i would rather take that debt, bring it together, and solve the problems we have in the country. here is the problem. our revenues 14% of gdp. our expenditures 22%. that is $1.50 trillion. we have to bring that together to 18%. bring bowls simpson to the floor. let's have the argument. we cannot get the majority leader to brg that to the floor. allow amendments and discussion and we can solve this problem if both sides work together. >> my opponents speaks a good game. the fact of the matter is i have been working to bring down the deficit for years. it is very important we do it for the very reason that was stated about national security. let's examine the facts. my number one, too, and three priorities are creating jobs in the state of nevada.

we help small businesses, make nevada the energy jobs capital of the united states, we create good paying jobs right here in the state of nevada, help our tourism industry create good paying jobs. my opponent does not do anything for middle income families. he does nothing to get people back to work. i am fighting day and night to make sure we get good paying jobs, that we keep people in their homes, that we protect medicare and social security. my opponent is voting for budget after budget that takes away and balances our budget on the backs of our senior citizens and our veterans. >> thank you. our next question is directed at senator heller. >> into 2011, you voted twice, once as a congressman and once at a senator, for a plan that would change the medicare program. could you explain your plan for medicare for those under 55,

because those are the people who would be impacted. by these changes. >> my father turns 79 on saturday. both the mother and my father rely on social security and medicare. in my father's case, veterans' benefits. my father has had a lot of surgery. he would not be celebrating his 79th birthday if it were not for veterans' benefits and medicare. i made a promise. i would not do anything that would change your social security and medicare benefits as long as they were in the system. i have held true to that promise. i will continue to do so as long as i live and as long as i am in washington d.c. we have to take a look at medicare. my opponent keeps stealing from the program.

she needs to quit stealing. she took a trillion dollars out of medicare over the last five years, $700 billion, just to give it to obamacare. we need to stop doing that. we have 12% unemployment in the state. we need more people paying payroll tax. 8% across the country. my opponent keeps saying jobs. every time she votes for a jobs bill, unemployment goes higher. do not believe it. do not believe it. that is not the way it works. she is helping wall street. she is helping big oil. she is helping big banks. you name it. she will bail it out. she says she is proud of it and she will do it again. >> [laughter] my opponent voted not once but twice for the ryan budget that ends medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies. that is what will happen. experts say it will increase the cost of medical care by $650,000 a year.

-- $6,400 per year for older americans. it is a bad idea and he said he is proud to do it. it will put private insurance company bureaucrats between doctors and their patients. my opponent knows i did not cut money out of medicare- guaranteed benefits. we voted to eliminate overpayments to insurance companies. overpayments to insurance companies and we extend the life of medicare by nine years. that is a pretty good deal. my opponent cannot be too upset about those votes because he voted for that exact same so- called cut in the ryan budget. it was not in the right budget. he did not vote once for that. twice. it cannot be that bad. it takes a lot of brass for

someone to accuse me for doing something they have done twice. >> thank you. i have never heard someone give an answer that said they did not do it and then they did do it in the same response. she continues to tell the lie of the year. continuing to tell the lie of the year, even with confidence, is still the lie of the year. she talks about the budget. all i want is to move it forward. the ryan budget would not pass because it is the republican budget. we need a democrat budget. we could not get one. we could not get the majority leader to have a budget hearing. could not happen. i do not feel like have to explain this to my opponent. you bring everyone together and solve problems. i want solutions. you cannot have solutions if one side will not talk.

>> thank you. the next question is directed at the congresswoman. >> since january of 2007, nevada is at the top of the nation in regards to foreclosures. what is your clear plan for more nevadans? to keep their homes? >> nobody knows the importance of home ownership better than i. i know very well when my father, who was a waiter, other than the times he walked both my sister and me down the aisle, i think his proudest moment is when he was able to afford a house for us. we put down roots in the community. it made us feel important. homeownership is important. there is nobody who has done more to keep people in their homes than i have because i understand the importance. i think we should allow for principal write down.

there are too many of our families who are in foreclosure. they cannot afford mortgages. they are under water. a principal write-down, they can afford their homes and stay in them. give these people the opportunity to be able to pay a mortgage. through mortgage modification. it may not be what the original mortgage was, but their homes are almost worth almost half the value of what they paid for it. give these people an opportunity to stay in their homes. keep their neighborhoods whole. keep their houses from becoming dilapidated and lowering the property values of the rest of the neighborhood. home ownership is important. making sure we keep our fellow citizens in their homes is very important, as well. holding the wall street banks accountable for having gotten us in the mess in the first place, that is a very important thing to do, as well. >> my opponent needs to explain

how flippant homes helps the middle class. -- flipping homes makes -- helps the middle class. i will tell you this. she started the process in 1999. when she voted to repeal the glass stiegel act. it was the beginning of the end of the housing industry. she repealed the deregulation of the banking industry. they wanted it. they came to her again. she bailed them out. they said, they do not want the act anymore and that was the beginning of the end of the housing crisis we have in nevada and across the country. this is the purpose of my legislation. i want people to stay in their homes. it is called the home act. this is what it does. if you are faced with foreclosure, i want you to stay in your home. i want you to stay in your home for five or six years. when you are creditworthy again, you have the opportunity to buy that house back at whatever the current price is. you can lease the home and buy it back. it keeps family in their homes. it keeps children in their

schools. it keeps the neighborhood from deteriorating. these are the kinds of ideas we need in washington d.c. these are the solutions we need. >> thank you. >> thank you. no one has worked harder than i have in order to keep constituents in their homes. there are a number of things we have done and can do. my opponent voted against every one of them. it is amazing during an election year where he has all the sudden had pieces of legislation that are supposed to help the people of nevada when he has never helped them before. it is important to ensure we never get in this mess again. i voted for sensible wall street reform to hold the wall street banks accountable. they have got us into this problem. our fellow citizens have lost their homes, lost their jobs, and my opponent is busy supporting wall street. i supported the wall street

reform act because i want to hold these people accountable for what they did to this country. my opponent voted against it. he is still standing with the big guys against the people who are in foreclosure. instead of protecting the people in the state of nevada, he is working on wall street. >> thank you. >> senator heller, what is nv's best role as a producer of renewable energy and its technology? to what extent should the federal government subsidize these endeavors? >> first of all, think for the question. -- thank you for the questionedfirst of all, the federal. government should be involved. that is why i supported some of the tax and the ability for them to move forward, get the tax credits they needed to move toward. i believe we ought to concentrate here in north america. i m four and all of the above policy. my opponent thinks our oil should come from the middle east. i think it to be coming from north america and south america.

she voted against the pipeline andnow she supports the pipeline. nevada has a real opportunity for renewable energy. we have the most geothermal plants than anywhere else in the country. same as solar. between las vegas. some of the most intense solar rays we have in the country. we ought to be taking advantage of it. as a republican, i voted against my party for the renewable standards. i think it is critically important we have that so we can move forward on these particular issues. it includes renewable, oil, coal, i want to get america back to work. this devastated impact in my opponent voting record has and her inability to go after natural resources, it will create tens of thousands of jobs. if we had an energy policy, it

would be sensible for this country. >> we need a good energy policy in this country. it has a lower energy costs. this is what the energy policy has to do. it needs to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. it needs to develop our renewable energy sources. nevada can be at the center of renewable clean energy, job creation. we can create a product that we need, energy. my opponent, in spite of what he said, he voted to slash investments in grenoble energy -- renewable companies when he voted nine energy times to give tax breaks to big oil companies. i know this state has an abundance of sun, wind, and geothermal. we need to harness this energy. my opponent keeps voting with big oil. how will we get beyond big oil and our dependence on it and develop the energy sources that we have right here in the state

of nevada where we can put nevadans back to work. that is who i am fighting for. my opponent is still standing with big oil. still making sure we will take care with the big guys instead of the people here in the state of nevada. let's build the keystone pipeline but let's make sure the oil that is going to the pipeline stays here in nevada to lower our energy costs and is not put on a tanker and sent over to china to bring down their energy costs. >> it is amazing my opponent like to demonize certain industries. it is the oil industry at this point. all these dirty profits she is talking about. there is only one person who invested big oil, millions of dollars. that is my opponent. i will create millions of jobs in our country. we will tell every hardworking american that your taxes are not going up. we do not want to raise your taxes.

my opponent voted for the fiscal cliff. she says she is against it now. she voted for it. let's go after our own energy. natural energy. let's go after the pipeline. we can do a lot. 10,000 jobs directly. 100,000 indirectly. there are a lot of things we can do that we have to repeal this new health care bill that is killing the middle class. i hope we get a chance to talk more about that. >> we have time for another question. it will be directed to congresswoman berkeley. >> both of you had stood tall for veterans during the campaign. many are concerned about looming defense cuts. if they come, how can you make sure nv's air force base, naval force base and, all economic engines for those communities,

stay viable pieces of nevada? >> look, every generation, our nation calls upon men and women to go and fight for us. they sacrifice a great deal, they risk their lives, and when they come back, we need to make sure we provide these veterans with the benefits we promised them. that is why i was so proud to be able to help build the hospital, the brand-new hospital in nevada. it will take care of veterans dropped the state. -- throughout the state. that is why i passed the bill so we can provide resources for people who are coming back from the field of battle with problems and emotional problems. when my opponent had a chance to stand with veterans and fight with them, or fight for big oil, he chose to fight for big

oil and give them tax breaks instead of making sure we protected the homeless veterans. there was a homeless veterans housing voucher program my opponent voted to gut and to end so he could continue giving tax breaks to big oils and corporations to ship our jobs overseas. we have a lot to be proud of when it comes to support for our veterans. we need to make sure we take care of them and we honor the promises that we have made to our veterans in this country. >> excuse me. i might have missed it, but i did not hear your plans on saving the air force base, the naval air station, and the end of the ammo depot. >> i was going to do that in my second minute. i thought it was important to talk about our veterans and give them the on the desert.

-- given the honor they deserve. -- give them the honor they deserve. >> ok. senator heller. >> it was my legislation under women's homeless act, i amendment that was passed, that will help homeless veteran women and allow them, with their children to get the support they need. this would help homeless veteran women. my point is not telling you she voted for sequestration. she voted to cut these budgets, the very issues we are talking about. she voted for it. now she is saying she is against -- i love how that practicality works. sequestration also cuts care. -- tri-care. she talks about the promises we give to veterans. my father and my brother is a veteran. yeah sequestration cuts try care. it reduces benefits. my opponent says one thing and does another. it also cut medicare.

secretary panetta says it is a bad piece of legislation. i agree. it is. that is why i voted against it. >> sequestration will never happen because it will have catastrophic consequences on the economy of the nation. i am willing to sit and work with anybody to get our budget under control and stop wasteful spending. i will answer the question now. i have spent the last 14 years making sure those bases get the resources they need it because it is important for national defense and the state of nevada plays second fiddle to no one when it comes to national defense went our men and women go and fight for this country, that they are able to have the best equipment and the best resources that this nation can

give them. i am not worried about that because we will ensure those places are well protected and their budgets will stay intact. >> thank you. the next question is for senator heller. >> the school district is the fifth largest of its kind in the nation. it has over 60,000 students. it has more than 300,000 students. nevada has one of the worst academic test scores in the country. what do you propose should be done to better the education system text>> i think that is an important question, especially for our economy. i want to point out one thing. she posed for sequestration and now says it will not happen. she goes for the fiscal cliff and now she says it will not happen. can you imagine that kind of leadership? let's talk about education. this is the problem i see. we have a department of education in washington. they have 3500 employees that

make over $100,000 a year. they are dictating to the school district how to do their jobs. i think that is a shame and it is wrong. i am not talking about closing down the department of education. i have never said that and never will. can we reduce the size of that department of education and get that money down to the school district? i believe the best education for children in nevada comes between parents, teachers, and principles. those are who should be making the decisions. >> if i could quickly comment. my opponent mentioned my vote on sequestration. just a few questions ago, he said he voted to end medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies twice. he said he was proud to any said he does not mean it, it would never pass anyway. all right, look.

i understand the importance of a good education. i am the first person in my family to go to college. a good education changes your life. my dad has a ninth grade education. our students here are not just competing anymore with places in the united states. they are competing with other emerging economies across the planet. i was astonished knowing the importance of a quality education when my opponent voted to slash grants and voted to increase the interest payments on student loans. that is how i went to school. that is how thousands of nevada at middle income families go to school. they depend on it. my opponent voted to slash. as far as the department of education is concerned, at the lincoln county dinner, he very clearly said it is exactly what he would do, eliminate the

department of education. >> thank you. >> that is not accurate but that is fine. not surprised you would continue with that. my opponent in 2010 voted against the loan program. it helped generations of americans get their education. she has to be careful with what she said. my wife is a schoolteacher. she taught school and works within school districts. she understands the importance of parents, teachers, and principles working for the better education of those students. this is what you get. you get 3500 bureaucrats sitting round a table and try to figure out how to dictate what they ought to be teaching their children. it usually comes with unfunded mandates. a stake those billions and get -- let's take those billions and it to the state of nevada. geti have far more confidence in the governor than i do with those bureaucrats.

in washington, d.c.>> it is time for the candidates to make their closing statements. congresswoman berkeley, you are up first. >> thank you. when i first came to nevada as a child, i knew that this was a place for me to be. my family made a life for ourselves in this state, and i think it is very important for me to make sure that those who come behind me, and rations to come, have the same -- generations to come, have the same opportunities that my family had when we first came to nevada. this election is about the falling. -- the following. people come over to me and say, i never missed a day of work. i never missed a mortgage payment. i lost my job. i lost my home. what will i do?

the answer to that question is what this election will be about. who will stick up for the people of the state of nevada? who is going to fight for middle income families? the people of the state of nevada need a champion tomake sure we concentrate on good paying jobs heren the state and we keep people in their homes and we protect older americans from ending their medicare. someone who stands with our veterans and make sure they get the benefits they deserve. my opponent is planning for the other side. -- is playing for the other side. he is taking care of the big guys. they do not need our help. wall street corporations, big oil companies, they are doing fine. the people in the state of nevada need a champion. at that time, my opponent was championing the wealthiest among us. i think the people in the stated that the state of nevada know just by listening to us and who is in their corner and who fights for them every day. i am asking for your vote so i

can continue to help the people in the state of nevada. >> thank you. >> thank you again and thank you for taking the time. i appreciate those at the university. i think it has been very informative. tomorrow morning, one in five american men will not go to work. we have 1 million less women working today than four years ago appeared for every job, for every real job that is created here in this country, four disappeared. drive around the state. this is the problem we have in america today. it is like driving through a snowstorm. the speed limit may say you can go 65 or 70 miles per hour, but everyone is driving at 20 m.p.h. because they are afraid of the next crash. that is where american families and businesses are today. they can be going 65 or 70

miles an hour but they have come to a screeching halt because of the economic policies of my opponent. the policies are like a big wet blanket on economic growth on this country. the good news is it can change. we can take this country down the right road. i have seen it before in 1981 while reagan became president. he created 40 million jobs. -- 14 million jobs. i believe we can do that again. i need your help and your support. i believe we can turn this country around. i believe we can turn that around. -- we can turn nevada aroundthis is what will happen. . i am thrilled and proud to be the united states senator. i need your vote come november 6. thank you. >> that includes tonight's debate. -- that concludes tonight's debate. i would like to thank the candidates. for participating in tonight'si

would like to thank you for debate. joining us. good night. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> tonight we will have the wisconsin senate debate. these are the candidates. they are competing for the seat of retiring sen enter herb cole. their debate will be live at 9:00 eastern. in a few moments, today's headlines ander calls, live "washington journal on." the president of yemen speaks of the woodrow wilson center at 1:00 p.m. eastern. security is concerned -- is a concern. in about 45 minutes, we will discuss how wall street sees the presidential campaign.